February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four, part of the Meredith Documentary Film Festival

February One is an intimate look at how four African-American freshmen at North Carolina A&T University took a stand for justice by sitting down at a Woolworth whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in February 1960. The Greensboro Civil Rights Sit-ins served as a nationwide catalyst for the non-violent protests that would follow. This film has shown nationally on PBS and on STARZ network.

A discussion with filmmakers Rebecca Cerese and Steven Channing will follow. Meredith alumna Camden Watts, '03, an independent producer, director and writer, will lead the discussion.

About the Filmmakers

Rebecca Cerese is an award-winning filmmaker and passionate social justice advocate. February One – The Story of the Greensboro Four is her first documentary. She also directed, produced and co-wrote Landscapes of the Heart - The Elizabeth Spencer Story, which chronicles the life of Southern novelist Elizabeth Spencer as well as Change Comes Knocking – The Story of the North Carolina Fund, a film that chronicles the impact of a revolutionary anti-poverty program started by Terry Sanford in 1960s North Carolina. Cerese also served as co-producer of the documentary Durham – A Self-Portrait, as well as Private Violence, an impactful film used to train medical professionals, law enforcement officials and other advocates about domestic violence issues. Her recent short, A New Kind of Strength, highlights the role of men dedicated to ending domestic violence. She is co-author of the book, A Tradition Excellence – A Pictorial History of the Watts School of Nursing. Cerese serves as vice president of the Peoples Channel, the public access station in Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C. She recently completed her term serving on the boards of the Southern Documentary Fund as well as the ACLU of North Carolina. She holds dual degrees in communications and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Steven Channing is a distinguished historian, author and Emmy Award winning filmmaker, whose career has focused on race and diversity in American history. With a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Channing taught at the University of Kentucky, Stanford and in Genoa, Italy, as a Fulbright Lecturer. During his academic career, his books included the national award winning Crisis of Fear: Secession in South Carolina, and The Confederate Ordeal, in Time-Life’s Civil War series. Over the past 25 years through his company Video Dialog Inc., his films include America’s 400th Anniversary, hosted by Andy Griffith, Alamance, a regional Emmy winner on the American Revolution, and, with his talented collaborator, Rebecca Cerese, February One – The Story of the Greensboro Four and Change Comes Knocking: The North Carolina Fund. Many have enjoyed his films Durham: A Self-Portrait and Down Home, on Jewish life in North Carolina.

The Meredith College Documentary Film Festival is presented by the Meredith College Department of English, funded by the Mary Lynch Johnson Chair in English with cooperation from Carlyle Campbell Library. The films featured in the festival are listed by the Southern Documentary Fund. Learn more: southerndocumentaryfund.org. The Meredith College Documentary Film Festival qualifies as an Academic / Cultural Event in General Education for Meredith students. This event is free and open to the public. Space in Carswell Auditorium is limited; seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

For more information, contact the Meredith College Department of English at (919) 760-8507.